Foreign and Commonwealth Office

North Korea: Smuggling

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking following the evidence gathered by HMS Montroseregarding fuel tankers illegally smuggling petrol to North Korea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have passed on evidence gathered by HMS Montrose on illegal North Korean ship to ship transfers of fuel to the UN Panel of Experts. The Panel is mandated to gather, examine and analyse information provided by States on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions, as well as information on incidents of non-compliance. ​

North Korea: Smuggling

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking following the findings of the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea in March that “Ports and airports in North Korea were being used for rampant violations” of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, involving at least 89 calls by fuel tankers at North Korean ports involving illegal imports of oil, coal, and bulk cash.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We keep a close track of North Korean sanctions implementation and respond robustly when there is evidence of sanctions breaches. We are active in working with and lobbying, where necessary, international partners to ensure that all relevant UN Security Council resolutions in respect of North Korea are fully and effectively implemented.

Libya: Freezing of Assets

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatdiscussions they have had with the government of Italy about reports that€1.2 billion frozen Libyan assets were recently transferred to Libya.

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have drawn the attention of the United Nations and the European Union to reports that Belgium and Italy have released frozen Libyan assets without the permission of the UN Security Council.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are aware of these reports and regularly discuss Libya sanctions measures and their implementation with our EU partners and UN Security Council members, as part of our support for UN-led efforts to bring greater stability to the country.

SS Richard Montgomery

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussedthe wreck of the SS Richard Montgomerywith the government of the United States.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have not recently discussed the issue of the SS Richard Montgomery with the US Government.

China: Prisoners

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of China about the 1984 regulations in that country which state that organs can be extracted from executed prisoners.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: I am not aware of any discussions between the UK and Chinese governments on this specific point.

UNRWA

lord polak: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees about its working definition of a refugee.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK is clear that the status of Palestinian refugees is a final status issue, and must be agreed as part of wider peace negotiations. Accordingly the UK has not made representations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) regarding its working definition of a Palestinian refugee. The UK remains a firmly committed supporter of UNRWA, and Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, and we will do everything we can to maintain continuity of essential services at this time.

UNRWA

lord polak: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the sustainability of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees’ working definition of a Palestinian refugee.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK recognises the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA) unique mandate from the UN General Assembly, to protect and provide essential services to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. The UK is clear that the status of Palestinian refugees is a final status issue, and must be agreed as part of wider peace negotiations. Accordingly the UK has not made an assessment of the sustainability of the UNRWA's working definition of a Palestinian refugee.

China: Transplant Surgery

lord suri: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the government of Canada in 2018 to make travelling to China for organ transplants illegal for Canadian citizens.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are currently looking into the measures reportedly introduced or being considered in several other countries, including Canada, relating to travel to China for organ transplants.

Arctic Council

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the forthcoming Arctic Council ministerial meeting inFinland on 7 May, particularly in relation to their commitment, in the Defence Arctic Strategy, to put the Arctic and the High North central to thesecurity of the UK.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The priority of Her Majesty's Government is to maintain the Arctic as a peaceful and stable region. At the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in May, we will reaffirm our commitment to support the Arctic Council in its work to promote cooperation and coordination on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection, and to work in partnership with the eight Arctic States and the region's indigenous peoples to that end. The Arctic Council does not discuss security or defence matters. The United Kingdom will be represented at the meeting by a senior official of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, in accordance with our status as an observer.

Department for Education

Languages: Education

baroness smith of gilmorehill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to promote the teaching ofmodern languages in schools in England.

lord agnew of oulton: There are a number of initiatives in place to promote the teaching of modern languages in schools in England. The reformed national curriculum makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a foreign language in key stage 2 and 3, and academies are required by their funding agents to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum. The government has introduced the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance measure, which includes languages and the proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state-funded schools in a modern foreign language (MFL) has increased from 40% in 2010 to 46% in 2018.Recruiting MFL teachers is a priority. Generous financial incentives are offered for languages teaching, including scholarships in modern foreign languages worth £28,000, and tax-free bursaries, typically worth up to £26,000. We are also working in partnership with Spain’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to deliver Spain’s Visiting Teachers programme. This will provide schools with access to a pool of qualified teachers from Spain who are able to teach MFL. For the 2019/20 academic year, the programme will be open to secondary schools and primary schools.The Teacher Subject Specialism Training programme aims to improve the subject knowledge of non-specialist teachers and returning teachers in MFL and to increase the number of hours taught.We have also recently launched the new Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which will attract new teachers to all subjects, including MFLs.A £4.8 million MFL Pedagogy Pilot commenced in December 2018. It is managed by the newly appointed MFL Centre for Excellence and is run through 9 school-led hubs, to improve uptake and attainment in languages at key stages 3 and 4. We have also launched a pilot project in MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils to drive up participation in the subject, specifically targeting areas of high disadvantage to extend access to languages for all pupils.

Schools: Cost Effectiveness

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools the Department for Education team of consultants seeking savings as a result of school budget difficulties have visited.

lord agnew of oulton: School Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs) are practising sector experts, such as school business professionals, who work collaboratively with schools and trusts in order to help them make best use of their available resources to deliver the best possible education for pupils. SRMAs work with a range of trusts, not just those reporting a deficit position. SRMAs have so far completed 143 deployments, with a further 161 deployments currently underway. They are available to any state funded school looking to review their resource allocation against their peers.SMRAs are one of a number of tools that we have made available to the schools system, such as the department’s benchmarking website, which can be found here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/.

Department for International Trade

Trade: China

lord goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what commitments they have entered into under the Belt and Road Initiative of the People's Republic of China.

baroness fairhead: In 2017 the United Kingdom, together with 26 other countries, endorsed the “Guiding Principles on Financing the Development of the Belt and Road”. We continue to engage closely with China on the Belt and Road Initiative. The Department for International Trade assists UK firms by scoping project opportunities, providing finance where appropriate through UK Export Finance, and then supporting bids for contracts in firms’ priority markets. In addition, the Government advocates for the application of recognised international standards in the areas of transparency and anti-corruption, environmental standards, social standards and debt sustainability.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Right to Buy Scheme

baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to allow local councils (1) to set their own discount rates for the Right to Buy scheme, and (2) to retain all receipts from the Right To Buy scheme; and what assessment, if any, they have made of the case forwithdrawing the Right To Buy schemeto assist with theshortage of social housing.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy and believes that anybody who works hard and aspires to own their own home should have the opportunity to do so. We have recently consulted councils on increased flexibilities around the use of Right to Buy receipts, designed to make it easier for them to deliver more housing with those receipts, and will be issuing our response to the consultation shortly. The response will formally set out the Government’s views on the issues raised here.

Housing: Construction

lord turnbull: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their proposed Future Homes Standard to mandate the end of fossil-fuelled heating systems in all new houses after 2025 will also cover fossil-fuelled cookers and hobs; and what assessment they have made of what alternative technologies or fuels will be used in in their place.

lord turnbull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that their proposed Future Homes Standard will have on (1) the cost of building new homes, and (2) people’s fuel bills.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Future Homes Standard will require all new build homes to have low carbon heating. Cooking appliances are not controlled under the Building Regulations, however, we expect that many developers will choose not to install new gas connections in developments adopting the Future Homes Standard. There are a range of alternatives, including modern electric and induction hobs, which are cleaner and safer to use than gas, cheaper to install and maintain, and better for the environment.The Future Homes Standard is about building homes that are affordable to buy, affordable to run, and help to meet our climate change commitments. We will set out further details as part of our 2019 consultation on the energy efficiency requirements of the Building Regulations.

Housing: Older People

baroness greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish guidance for local authorities under the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 on the provision of specialist housing for older people.

baroness greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultationthey have carried outwith (1) local authorities, and (2) others, including providers of specialist housing for older people, about guidance to local authorities under the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 on the provision of specialist housing for older people.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: In the revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July 2018, we strengthened policy to create a clear expectation that all local authorities have policies in place for addressing the housing needs of older people. We will publish further planning guidance, to assist councils to put these policies in place, in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning Act commitment. We have undertaken extensive engagement in relation to the guidance. This includes discussions with a range of local authorities, charities, house builder representatives, and providers of specialist housing for older people, to identify and discuss the key issues. We will publish the guidance in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water: Conservation

the lord bishop of salisbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the speech by the Chief Executive of the Environment AgencyEscaping the jaws of death: ensuring water in 2050, made on 19 March; what steps they are taking to encourage individuals to reduce their water consumption; and what plans they have to introduce compulsory water metering.

lord gardiner of kimble: Sir James Bevan’s speech highlighted the need to take action to improve water demand management and increase supply to prevent future water supply deficits. That is why the Government is continuing to work closely with water regulators and the water industry to improve the resilience of water supplies now and in the long term. The Government expects companies to increase metering where appropriate. Currently, water companies can introduce universal metering if they are in an area designated as an area of serious water stress and have consulted on doing so with their customers. We are launching a call for evidence on setting an ambitious target for personal water consumption by mid-May. Alongside this, we will hold a consultation to examine the policy options required to support the target. This will include exploratory questions around policy options such as the labelling of water-using products, improving building standards, and the future role of metering.

Northern Ireland Office

Conditions of Employment: Republic of Ireland

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, signed into law by the President of the Republic of Ireland on 25 December 2018 and which came into force on 4 March 2019; and what plans they have, if any, to ensure regulatory alignment between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland by introducing similar legislation in Northern Ireland.

lord duncan of springbank: Responsibility for employment policy sits with the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland. Employment law in Northern Ireland currently meets the commitments in EU legislation and in many cases exceeds EU-required levels of protection. It will be for a Northern Ireland Minister, once the Executive is restored, to make future decisions in respect of employment policy.

Treasury

London Capital and Finance: Individual Savings Accounts

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what investigations they have initiated into the authorisation by the Financial Conduct Authority for London Capital and Finance to offer ISA investments.

lord bates: On 1 April, the Economic Secretary announced that he will use powers under the Financial Services Act 2012 to direct the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to launch an investigation into the events at London Capital & Finance and the circumstances surrounding them. This followed a request from the FCA Chair, Charles Randell, to the Economic Secretary to launch such an investigation. Approval to act as an ISA manager is granted by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). When considering an application, HMRC undertakes checks to ensure that applicants hold the appropriate regulatory permissions from the FCA. Once approval is granted, ISA managers must administer the ISA scheme in accordance with the ISA legislation. HMRC has a range of powers to tackle non-compliance with the rules, including withdrawing permission to act as an ISA manager, voiding non-compliant ISAs and reclaiming any incorrectly paid tax relief.

Financial Services

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide clarity surrounding new sales rules for UK asset managers in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

lord bates: The Treasury is in frequent contact with firms regarding their contingency planning for EU exit. UK asset managers that are using the EU “passport” to serve clients in the EEA have undertaken and will continue to carry out contingency plans with respect to their operations in the EEA in order to be ready for a no deal scenario. Some European countries have introduced measures to ensure that UK asset managers will continue to be able to service EEA clients. The Government has undertaken the necessary work to ensure that we have a stable and functioning domestic framework for asset managers at the point of leaving the EU without a deal. This includes establishing the ‘temporary marketing permissions regime’ which enables EEA funds to continue to be able to market into the UK for up to 3 years. These measures have been welcomed across the UK asset management industry.

Investment

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports suggesting that Brexit may have cost the UK approximately 2.4per cent of GDP due to a fall in investment.

lord bates: Despite the uncertainty around Brexit, the economy remains resilient. We are currently enjoying the longest unbroken quarterly growth streak of any G7 nation, employment is at a record high and regular wages are growing at their fastest pace in over a decade. The government's priority is to continue to press the case for an orderly Brexit that delivers on the result of the referendum and ends the uncertainty facing businesses and consumers.

Claims Management Services: Regulation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of sector regulation on closures of financial claims management firms; and of the impact that could have on consumers.

lord bates: The government conducted an impact assessment for the transfer of the responsibility of Claims Management Companies (CMCs) regulation from the Claims Management Regulator (CMR) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the FCA have also assessed the costs to industry. The number of CMCs has declined for several years, and if this trend continues, compliance costs for the industry will likely reduce. Remaining CMCs will now be required to meet FCA rules and higher standards of conduct. This will increase trust and confidence in the sector, which will benefit consumers and CMCs.

Lloyds Bank: Fees and Charges

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the way in which Lloyds Bank have introduced changes to the structure of charges for unplanned overdrafts; what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of the timing of those changes; and what assessment they have made of the impact of those changes on customers.

lord bates: Overdraft pricing is a commercial decision for firms, therefore HM Treasury does not make assessments of individual firms’ prices, the strategies for announcing those prices or the impact of those changes on customers. In December 2018 the Financial Conduct Authority published a consultation on interventions in the overdraft market. This consultation has now closed and the final remedies are due to be published in June this year.

Students: Loans

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, followingOffice for National Statistics changes to therecording of student loans in the national accounts, what proportion of student loan payments will beclassedas (1) government lending, and (2) government spending.

lord bates: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published updated estimates of potential fiscal impacts from the new student loans accounting treatment in Annex E of their March 2019 Economic and fiscal outlook. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has made it clear that there is a lot to decide before their methodology is finalised. The ONS plan to fully implement the new treatment for student loans in the public sector finances in September 2019.